Spurs' Popovich has Thibodeau's respect

Bulls coach calls San Antonio 'gold standard of the league'

SAN ANTONIO — If the Bulls have an opponent, coach Tom Thibodeau is waxing poetic about their potency.

That said, he saved special, seemingly more heartfelt praise for the Spurs and particularly coach Gregg Popovich.

"He's wearing more than one hat here, so he has to weigh a lot in his decision making," Thibodeau said in a nod to Popovich's personnel role. "When you look at what he's done over a long period of time, to me they are the gold standard of the league. Every year they find a way to be right at the top and have a chance."

The first of the Spurs' four NBA championships under Popovich came in 1999, when they defeated a Knicks team coached by Jeff Van Gundy — who called Wednesday's game courtside — and assisted by Thibodeau.

"What he has done here is built a championship-caliber team and organization from top to bottom — in everything they do," Thibodeau said. "To me, when you measure greatness, it's having the ability to do it year after year. And he has shown that. I have a lot of respect for what he has done."

Safety first:C.J. Watson never had experienced a concussion until he ran into Nets forward Kris Humphries on Feb. 18, forcing him to miss the final two games before the All-Star break. The guard said he appreciated the league's new policy, which demands players exhibit no symptoms for 48 hours as they increase exertion before getting cleared by a league-hired neurologist.

"I wanted to play earlier, but it's smart to be safe," Watson said.

Watson said migraine headaches and nausea led to the concussion diagnosis.

Layups: With no practice Thursday because of the back-to-back games and long flight to San Antonio, the Bulls stayed overnight and are scheduled to fly to Cleveland in the afternoon. ... About 15 friends and relatives made the drive from Tomball, Texas, to see hometown product Jimmy Butler. The Bulls don't play this season in Houston, which is closer. ... Popovich on his game plan: "We know who the most important guy to try to stop is. We also know we're not going to stop him."